If you take the idea that Eberle and RNH had a bad last year and delete their stats entirely and replace them with stats projected by their career average (Eberle's previous two years' stats, RNH's rookie year, obviously both small sample sizes) the Oilers would have scored... 8 more goals, 7 by RNH and 1 by Eberle.

It would have made a difference in the standings, but not a drastic one I don't think.

edit: which, holy crap. I hadn't looked at RNH's numbers in a while... god damn did dude fall off a cliff last year

How on earth have you not recognized that RNH was playing with a bum shoulder all of last season--and ever since he returned from injury in his rookie season?

Shockingly, that lingering injury affected his play.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoldNewLettuce

I disagree with the 5on5 focus crap. They'll run the kids anyway, but more so if both the PP and PK arent able to win the game.

I guess the team still isnt built to grind it through 5on5....right?

If I knew what I was talking about I would go on to suggest a winning strategy...but I don't.

Good thing you don't know what you're talking about!

Krueger implemented a 5v5 system last season that didn't work well. Our defencemen were playing man-to-man instead of zonally (what NHL team does this?!), our wingers played so high up on the points that they never helped the centres, and the centres had the absurd task of covering board-to-board rather than dot-to-dot.

Our breakouts involved throwing the puck up the ice to our wingers who were isolated from our other players, so we didn't have any decent puck support. The reason why you saw Gagner fly the zone early so often is so that there would actually be a body near the winger.

If Eakins implements a real 5v5 system that actually belongs in the NHL, then we'll see a huge improvement.